Steven Universe t-shirts and tolerance

Posted by Brian Thomas on October 03, 2018

So for anyone paying attention, this is my side hustle. It's my way to make a little extra money doing something that I enjoy while giving me something to chat with my kids about. However, a recent comment to one of my Instragram posts really struck a cord. The post was of one of the Steven Universe t-shirts that we sell and the comment was "Trash and it looks gay asf." If you don't like the shirt, cool. If you feel like you need to post a negative comment, that's cool too. But who cares if it does or does not look gay and why is that presented as if any homosexual affect of this (or presumably any) clothing is a bad thing? We all know the answer. Because, even in 2018, discrimination against the LGBT community is rampant.

And it pisses me off. Steven Universe is a great show because it challenges norms of sexuality, gender, race, and outdated bifurcations of identity. I encourage my kids to watch in the same way that I encourage them to spend time with people who are different than them. It teaches tolerance, understanding, and acceptance. I caution them against people who act in mean or intolerant ways, while trying to help them understand where people may have learned their behavior. I teach them that fitting in isn't always the most important thing as long as they are kind, thoughtful, and true to themselves. And when they choose to wear clothing that others might think is "gay asf" I sure as hell let them. Being intolerant and judging people for their sexuality or gender is wrong. Wearing a Steven Universe isn't.